Skype, a division of Microsoft, confirmed on Monday that a glitch in its software has led to instant messages being shared with unintended parties. The company said it will deliver an update to fix the problem in “the next few days.”

According to user reports, the unintended recipients have been connected to just one of the two users who exchange messages. The problem could have harmful consequences. For example, two co-workers using Skype to exchange IMs (instant messages) could, as a result of the problem, share the message with another contact in one user’s address book—potentially a third co-worker being unfavorably described in their IM exchange. According to Skype, the problem arises only in “rare circumstances.”

The issue first came to light last week in Skype’s user forums. It seems to stem from the update issued by the voice, video, and text messaging service in June.

“This is very disturbing and a serious breach of privacy, please address the issue immediately,” user bla84 wrote in a post to the support forum last Wednesday. On Friday, Skype said it was investigating the matter.

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